


The Greatest gift of all, is a best friend

by Bayerngirl19



Category: Football RPF
Genre: AU children, Alternate Universe - Children, Care Homes, Christmas, Christmas Eve, Christmas Fluff, Cute Ending, Cute Kids, Cutesy, Fluff, Light Angst, M/M, Orphanage, Orphans
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-13
Updated: 2015-12-13
Packaged: 2018-05-06 14:22:51
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,683
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5420378
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Bayerngirl19/pseuds/Bayerngirl19
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Mario is disappointed when Santa doesn't come. Marco helps him feel better.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Greatest gift of all, is a best friend

**Author's Note:**

  * For [ChileanRach](https://archiveofourown.org/users/ChileanRach/gifts).



> This is for the beautiful ChileanRach, thank you for everything you've done for me, and I hope you enjoy this little surprise. It's not much, but I want to thank you for always being here for me <3 
> 
> Mario is 5  
> Marco is 8  
> Thomas is 9  
> Mats is 10  
> Benedikt is 10  
> Manuel is 12  
> Philipp is 15
> 
> I know kids stop believing in Santa at different ages, but when I worked with a group of eight year old's only a few of them believe Santa, so Marco in this story, doesn't believe in Santa, only Mario does.

Mats narrows his eyes, and watches as five year old Mario stumbles into the living room, with a plate of cookies and a glass of milk."What are you doing with that plate of cookies?"

"It's for Santa Mats, it's Christmas eve." Mario beams, while Mats scoffs at the younger boy. Everyone here, other than Mario is old enough to know Santa isn't real. The care home doesn't usually allow children as young as Mario, but he's special case.

Children like Mario are usually lucky enough to be sent away, to foster homes, then eventually adopted by parents who can't have children of their own, that's why the older and more troubled children, don't really like Mario that much. The only reason Mario is here, because his parents haven't yet made the decision, if they want to fight to keep him or not.

"You're a stupid baby Mario, Santa isn't real." Mats resists the urge to shove Mario over, but changes his mind. He doesn't want to spent another second in the quiet room. "Miracles don't exist Mario, that's why we're here."

"Santa won't bring you anything, you are a nasty boy." Mario spits back. "You'll see when Santa brings me a new mommy and daddy back, you'll be stuck here forever."

Marco's heart breaks, as he listens to everything from the door way. Santa won't bring parents for Mario, despite his age, and innocence, it's very unlikely that the care workers will bring him anything.

"Mario... Santa doesn't come to care homes, he doesn't care about children like us."Thomas bites his lip, he's not a nasty person, but he doesn't want Mario to wake up heartbroken tomorrow morning."

"People like us?" Mario looks up at the lanky boy, confused. This is all new to Mario, only a few months ago, he lived at home with his parents. Mario's parents did try and look after him, spoiling him with expensive gifts, but they couldn't take care of him, or love him like a parent should do.

"The sooner you learn Santa is not real, the better." Benedikt shoves past and scoops up a handful of cookies, that Mario made himself, staying behind after nursery school, to get some help."

"Leave him alone." Philipp snaps, the oldest boy in the care home. He's not violent, but he's the one everyone looks up to, and respects."He's just a baby guys, stop ruining it for him, and Benedikt stop eating the cookies he made himself."

Everyone looks at the young boy with pity, who is neatly arranging the cookies, after Benedikt messed them all up. Manuel nods his head, and agrees. "Yeah, he's going to be heart broke in the morning, anyway."

Marco leaves the room full of tears, and heads to the nearest social worker. "Please Emily, you have to go out and buy Mario are present from Santa." The eight year old pulls on her skirt. "He'll be heart broke in the morning if not."

"Oh Marco, you are such a caring young boy." Emily ruffles his Ginger hair. "But, we can't just go out and buy Mario something, it's not fair on anyone else here, and we just can't afford to get you all something."

"Don't you get it Emily, you are ruining his Christmas, he's only five years old." Marco stamps his feet. "You're all horrible, I don't care if I don't get anything, I just want Mario to be happy." Marco storms out of the room, in a fit of rage.

"Bed time boys." Emily pokes her head around the living room door. "You have to be in bed early, because tomorrow is Christmas day and you're all up early in the morning."

"Christmas?" Mats snarls. "What's the fucking point, our Christmas tree is a Bonsai tree. We are having a chicken instead of turkey, and we won't be getting any presents." Mats turns and points at Mario. "This brat here is five years old, and you don't even make it special for him."

"Mats, don't swear, or you'll be spending Christmas in the quiet room." She narrows her eyes at Mats. "You're forgetting them meaning of Christmas, Jesus' birthday, and it's the time of togetherness."

"Fuck god, if he was real, he wouldn't have killed my mother. If he's such a good person, why does he make good people suffer? Why would he let my mother get hit by a car, of give Benedikt's mom depression or kill both of Marco's parents in a fire? Or why would he let a five year old come to this shit hole."

"Mats Hummels, that's enough." Emily tries to sound mad, but the ten year old has a fair point. "That's the way it is sometimes, life isn't always fair, now go to bed before I change my mind." Mats pokes his tongue out, and walks off.

"Come on Mario..." Marco holds his hand out, and the younger boy takes it. "If you are not in bed by twelve, Santa won't bring you anything." Marco always helps Mario brush his teeth, and into his pyjama's before bed time. Mario is Marco's special little friend.

"Marco, can you read me a story?" Mario pokes his head up from the thin blanket, Marco has just tucked him up into. He would like to read Mario a story, but he hears the other boys groaning from the other beds, and sneaks into the same bed with Mario instead.

"I can't read you a story." Mario whispers. "But, I can stay next to you, and keep you safe until the morning. Ok?" Mario nods, and snuggles closer to his special friend, having Marco around, stops all the nightmares.

***

"Marco, Marco, Marco." The shouting gets louder every time, and Marco is quite sure Mario's woken up the rest of the room, with his excited chanting but Marco's heart warms from the happiness. "It's Christmas, wake up."

"Santa hasn't been, so go back to sleep." Benedikt snaps, and shoves his head under his pillow, but Emily knocks on the bedroom door, indicating it is actually time to get up.

"You're such a bitch Emily, Mario's going to be so disappointed." Mats accuses her as he walks past, he's already walking on a thin line, but he doesn't care. Mats doesn't even like Mario, but listening to a heartbroken child crying all morning, isn't going to be any fun.

Mario holds Marco's hand tightly, and pulls him into the living room, bouncing up and down full of excitement. Marco's heart pounds out of his chest, Mario's going to be so disappointed.  

"He hasn't been." Mario falls onto the floor, and starts to cry. His little body curls up into a small ball, as he lets it all out. "I must have been a naughty boy." Everyone falls silent, even Mats, as they watch the youngest sobbing his heart out.

"He shouldn't even be here Emily." Philipp says calmly. "How can you do this to him? We are all old enough to know Santa isn't real, but Mario is just  baby, he learns about this magical fat man at school, and you can't even make him something?" Emily looks down in disappointment, but can't say anything.

"If you'll stop crying, i'll share my chocolate with you. The school Santa gave me it." Thomas tries, but Mario doesn't say anything, other than sob even harder.

"Stop it, Thomas, it's that guy who got him all excited in the first place." Mats says, starting to feel bad, and kneels down beside him, running his hand over Mario's back. "Do you want to share my stickers? You really like them don't you? And I usually tell you off for stealing them."

"Why does Santa hate me?" Mario's words are muffled by the carpet. Mats sighs and pulls away, because nothing anyone says is going to cheer him up. Mats remembers back to the time, he woke up to a pile of presents from Santa on Christmas morning, Mario deserves that, not being stuck in here."

"I have an idea." Marco sniffs, wiping away his own tearful face, seeing Mario heartbroken really gets to him. Marco runs out of the room, and heads upstairs into the bedroom. Marco reaches his hand under his bed, and pulls out his most precious item.

Marco holds the mud stained Germany shirt close to his heart, and cuddles it one last time, before he wraps it up in an old news paper for Mario. This was the last thing Marco's parents gave him, before they died in a house fire, when he was the same age as Mario is now. As much as it kills Marco, to give it away, he wants to make the younger boy smile, wanting him to keep his innocence for as long as possible.   

Once the present is fully wrapped, Marco finds a crayon on the floor, and writes to Mario, from Santa.

"Mario?, look what I found upstairs." Marco runs into the living room with the parcel, the younger one doesn't even move, as Marco sit down next to the still sobbing body. "I found a present from Santa, it was on my bed."

The younger one jerks his head up, a huge smile appearing on his face, as he takes the parcel from his special friend. "It's a preset from Santa Marco." Mario screams. Marco smiles, Mario doesn't care what's in the paper, he only cares that he's got a gift from Santa."

Mario takes off the paper, very slowly and smiles once he sees Marco's special shirt wrapped in the old Paper. The younger boy pulls it out, and holds it close. "But, this is yours Marco."

"Maybe Santa thought, you deserve it more than I do." Marco chuckles, because Mario bounces forward and wraps his arms around Marco's neck. "I don't think Santa had much money this year, Mario."

"Thank you Marco." Mario whispers into his ear. "You can share my gift, because you didn't get one." Mario says, looking sad, and despite everything Marco knows he's done the right thing, and that's making his best friend smile.  


End file.
